Automated designing

ABSTRACT

An automated designing system which includes the steps of orienting mechanical units into a plot plan and assembling interconnecting point orientation measurement data and specification data of units to be interconnected in ordinary draftman&#39;&#39;s terms, programming a computer to convert data in this form to a normal coded algorithmic form acceptable to a computer, imposing design-significant limits upon the computer operation, operating the computer to produce within its memory linearsignificant data interconnecting elements of said plan, printing out a portion of the said data in selected views upon a cathode ray tube operative to be modified by a light pencil to program corrections and modifications into the computer, and then converting said data from the memory of said computer to visible form either directly or from intermediate storage form.

United States Patent 1191 1111 3,867,616 Korelitz et al. 1*Feb. 18, 1975 [54] AUTOMATED DESIGNING 3,534,396 10/1970 Hart et a1 340/1725 x Inventors: Theodore Koremz waban; Alvin 3,636,328 1/1972 Brodie et al. 235/151.1

B .d' D b t C m ova 0 h of Mass Primary Examiner-Joseph F. Rugglero Asslgnesi The 8? p y, Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sol B. Wiczer Cambridge, Mass.

Notice: The portion of the term of this [57] ABSTRACT I g g 1989 An automated designing system which includes the as sen 18c alme steps of orienting mechanical units into a plot plan [22] -Filed: Sept. 14, 1971 and assembling interconnecting point orientation measurement data and specification data of units to be [21] Appl' 1803l8 interconnected in ordinary draftmans terms, program- Related U.S. Application Data ming a computer to convert data in this form to a nor- [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 767,891, Sept. 3, mal coded algorithmic form a c p to a computer, a 1968, Pat. No. 3,636,328, Continuation-impart of imposing design-significant l1m1ts upon the computer Ser: No. 419,466, Dec. 18, 1964, abandoned, operation, operating the computer to produce within Continuation-impart 0f 223,324, -PF- its memory linear-significant data interconnecting ele- 19621 abandon v ments of said plan, printing out a portion of the said v v data in selected views upon a cathode ray tube opera- [52] U.S. 235/l5l.l, 340/1725, 444/1 ti to be m difi d by a light pencil program [51] Ila. Cl. G061) 15/46 rections d m difi tion into the computer, and [58] l of Search 235/151, 1511 1; then converting said data from the memory of said I 444; 340/1725 computer to visible form either directly or from intermediate storage form. [56] References Cited I i 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 11 Claims, 42 Drawing Figures 3,443,075 5/1969 Gloess 235/151 3,488,479 1/1970 Keyes et a1. 235/1'5l.1 3,519,997 7/1970 Bernhart et a1 235/151 MOTOR I 1 MOTOR :L J

INPUT DATA COMPUTER DISC FILE OUTPUT COMPUTER DRAWING 34 MAGNETIC OR PAPER TAPE TABULATION PUNCH CARDS CATHODE I ROTATING RAY TUBE DRUM TYPE PLQTTER PLOTTER sum 010F211 M OTOR 'MOTO a INPUT DATA.

COMPUTER 12 msc FILE OUTPUT COMPUTER,

- .DRAWIINQ; 34 MAGNETIC 0R.

PAPER TAPE TABULATION,

PUNCH CARDS CATHODE ROTATING FIG 1 RAY TUBE DRUM TYPE PLOTTER. PLOTTER.-

IN VENTOR ALVIN c. 520015 THEODORE H. KORELITZ ATTO NEK" PATENEBFEE'IBBTS 3.8 67. 616

sneer 0140f 24 f Y-Z PLANE I INVENTORS AL WM 0. 0200/5 77IEODORE l1. KOREL/TZ A 7' TORNEV FIG. 4

SHEET 070F241 vPATEMIwrau ems S E o I m L 4 m... m M .m 2. mm mp AD E N a WYR FE MI 7 )a ofl M 5\ INVENTORS c BROD/E AL VIN THEOD ORE FIG. 9

KOREL ITZ PATENIEBFEEI mars I SHEEP 08 [1F 24 INITIALLIZE TO COORDINATES OF POINT A TRY Fl R51 PATH START INCREMENT TO 'TRY NEYT PATH SET X Y TO COORDINATE-.5

, DL DL L OF FIFLST INTERMEDIATE POINT SEND SEGMENT-TO ROUTINE TO CHECK FOR INTERFERENCES (SEE FIGJIJ SEND SEGMENT TO ROUTINE MOVE 01. YDL ZDL To XBI. YBL BL SET X Y Z T0 COORDINATES G POINT B STORE SATISFACTORY PATH PROCEED TO 1 NEXT ROUTINE FIG. /0

TO CHECK FOR. INTERFERENCES (SEE FIG. II)

SEND SEGMENT T0 ROUTINE TO CHECK FOR INTERFERENCES (SEE FIG II) INVE N TORS A L V/N C. BR OD/E THEODORE H. ICOREL/TZ ATTORNEY.

: PATENIEBFEIWQYS 6 6.667.616

' SHEET OSUF 24 START SET TILT o INITIALLIZE TO FIRST ENTRY g fl''E m EQUIPMENT TABLE. TABLE ENTRY (ZMAX)LZDL+ MAX L' BL mm )L=ZBL (ZMIN)LZDL L 1 SET TILT .1.

E N D IN VEN TOR S AL w/v a a 00/5 THE 00 ORE KD/ZE'L/TZ Pmmm m A 3.867. 616

SHEET l lUF 24 READ INEQU/PMENT lDENT/F/CA T/ON L OCAT/ON AND OR/EN TA T/ON DA TA 1 L CHECK DATA FOR. VALID/TV READ/N DIMENSION DA TA FOR EQUIPMENT CHECK DA TA FOR VAL/DI T) A ND C OMPA T/B/L ITV COMB/NE ALL EQUIPMENT LOCA T/ON v DIMENSION AND OR/ENTAT/ON DA TA 7 AND CONVERT TO ABSOLUTE COORDINATES STORE COORD/NA TE DA TA IN E QU/PME N T TABLE FIG. /7

' INVENTORS AL VIN C BROD/E THEODORE H. KOREL/TZ 'ATTO EV JPAIENTEBFEB 1 s I L 3.867.616 SHEET 16oF 24 READ UNIT PREPARATION DATA A) NORTH ARROW DIRECTION 1 8) SITE OUTLINE DIMENSIONS READ EQUIPMENT LOCATION DATA UIP. coo 1 NUMBER BIEQUIP. DIRECTION (RELATIVE TO NORTH) c:

E }LocA1-|Ne POINT DAT 1') A) Ed PROCESS EQUIPMENT LOCATION DATA A STORE m PLOT PLAN TABLE A) STORE EQUIPMENT cooE AND "NUMBER a) CONVERT DIRECTION PARALLEL AXIS & STORE c) couvzmr ocATnou POINT bA-rA TO x Y z CENTER POINT & STORE m s-roRE THE SUPPORT LEVEL EQUIPMENT PARALLEL L PT x Loo PT LOG PT 2 SUPPORT com-z GLNO. Axls LEVEL Ms4zeA Y x cooRn Y cooao. z comm GRADE M5401 x x cooao v cooan z coono GRADE ANY MORE 7 ma EQUIPMENTLOCATIO TO BE PROCESSED PMENTEB EB 3.867.616

HEET lBUF 24 INCREMENT To GET THE I mcREMENT TO GET THE NEXT PIEcE OF EQUIPMENT NEXT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT READ EQUIPMENT DIMENSIONAL DATA FROM sTANoARn FORM:

A) EQUIPMENT CODE 6 NUMBER.

6 UP To 20 SEPARATE ENTRIES DEPEND- ms ON FOR.M SELECTED....CONTAINS I DIMENSIONAL DATA FOR.

+ EQUIPMENT ERROR M ESSAGE: NO LOCATINC POINT ERROR MESSAGEIERROR. DETECTED IN AVAIL. FOR THIS PIECE OF EOUIPMENI" FI EI.D...FOR. EQUIPMENT NO. XX

ACCESS PLOT PLAN TABLE 6 DETERMINE WHETHER. AN ENTRY EXISTS IN PLOT PLAN TABLE WHICH CORRESPONDS TO THE EQUIPMENT CODE l NUMBER. JUST READ ANY CORRESPONDING ENTRY m PLOT PLAN TABLE? PAIENIEO 8 3. 867. 616

sum 1 7 0F 24 PERFORM vAuol-rY AND COMPATIBILITY enema or ALL DIMENSIONAL DATA R DOES Au. THE

DATA CONFIRM DETERMINE THE PARALLEL AXIS OF THE EQUIPMENT AND GE'NER TE MINIMUM 5 MAXIMUM-COORDS.

z DIRECTION PARALLEL X DIRECTION Y DIRECTION x MIN. LOC PT x-om/a x MAX= LOCPT X+DlA/2 Y MIN Loc PT Y -HEAD H61: Y MAX YMIN LENGTH VESSEL 2 MIN LOC PTZ -0|A/z z MAx= LOC'PT z DIA/z.

PAIENIEBFEBI 81ers sum 8 0F 24 X MIN.= LOGPT X -mA 2 x Mm= LocP'r X HEAD HGT.

x MAx= LOG PT X 'l-DIA z x MAx= x MIN LENGTH- VESSEL Y M|N=-LOGPT Y -o|A a Y MIN= LOGPT Y DIA 2.

'MAx= LOCPTY +0| a Y MAX= Loc PTY DIA z zMm LOCPT z-smnr HGT 2 MIN Loc PTZ DIA a z MAX- z Mm LENGTH VESSEL z MAX= LOC PT 2 '1' DIA 2 STORE ALL PROPERLY PROCESSED EQUIPMENT IN EQUIPMENT TABLE Ms42eA Y CYL MINX MIN Y MIN: MAX x MAX Y MAX 1 MS4OI vx CYL MIN MIN MIN MAX X MAX Y MAX 2 ETC.

mcREMEN-r TO GET THE NEXT PIECE or EQUIPMENT ANY MORE EQUIPMENT DIMENSIONAL DATA TO BE PROCESSED END 

1. The method of designing, interconnecting and visibly illustrating a system of linearly interconnected operating units into a composite operating system, comprising forming a plot plan consisting of a graphical diagrammatic arrangement of each of said operating units with each unit of said system graphically positioned therein in scale dimensions and arranged in threedimensional space in design position before each unit is interconnected into the system, forming a table of dimensions significant of each unit and the points thereon to be linearly interconnected measured by the designer from any point in the plot plan common to said units in symbols recognizable by a draftsman, programming a computer to convert the said designer''s measurement data of said table to coded form acceptable to a computer and orienting said data to the graphical origin of said plot plan, feeding the computer with said coded data, executing programmed steps to impose constraining limits upon said computer to compute and store data representative of said points in the memory of said computer, executing programmed steps to mathematically define a path interconnecting said units to be interconnected within said constraining limits, whereby each line thus defined becomes a limiting exclusion upon the next succeeding lines, and finally converting all of the data in the memory of said computer to visible form comprising a system of said units linearly interconnected through said points.
 2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the system is a piping system, piping segments serving as said lines to interconnect said units, and the data formed in the memory of said computer is finally converted to visible drawing form defining a piping system interconnecting the units for fluid flow from unit to unit of the system.
 3. The method of designing, interconnecting and visibly illustrating a system of linearly interconnected operating units into a composite operating system, comprising forming a plot plan consisting of a graphical diagrammatic arrangement of each of said operating units with each unit of said system graphically positioned therein in scale dimensions and arranged in three-dimensional space in design position before each unit is interconnected into the system, forming a table of dimensions significant of each unit and tHe points thereon to be linearly interconnected measured by the designer from any point in the plot plan common to said units in symbols recognizable by a draftsman, forming at least one second listing of data in tabular form identifying units to be emplaced in said system in terms of their operating and identifying specifications, programming a computer to convert the said designer''s measurement data of said first table and to convert the operating unit identifying data of other tables to coded form acceptable to a computer and orienting said data to the graphical origin of said plot plan, feeding the computer with said coded data, executing programmed steps to impose constraining limits upon said computer to compute and store data representative of said points in the memory of said computer, executing programmed steps to mathematically define a path interconnecting said units to be interconnected within said constraining limits, whereby each line thus defined becomes a limiting exclusion upon the next succeeding lines, and finally converting all of the data in the memory of said computer to visible form comprising a system of said units linearly interconnected through said points.
 4. The method as defined in claim 3 wherein the system is a piping system, piping segments serving as said lines to interconnect said units, and the data formed in the memory of said computer is finally converted to visible drawing form defining a piping system interconnecting the units for fluid flow from unit to unit of the system.
 5. The method of designing, interconnecting and visibly illustrating a system of linearly interconnected operating units into a composite operating system, comprising forming a plot plan consisting of a graphical diagrammatic arrangement of each of said operating units with each unit of said system graphically positioned therein in scale dimensions and arranged in three-dimensional space in design position before each unit is interconnected into the system, forming a table of dimensions significant of each unit and the points thereon to be linearly interconnected measured by the designer from any point of said plot plan common to said limits in symbols recognizable by a draftsman, converting the measurement data of said table to coded form acceptable to a computer, feeding the computer with said coded data, executing programmed steps to impose constraining limits upon said computer to compute and store data representative of said points in the memory of said computer, executing programmed steps to mathematically define a path interconnecting said units to be interconnected within said constraining limits, whereby each line thus defined becomes a limiting exclusion upon the next succeeding lines, graphically printing out selected views of said design upon a cathode ray tube operative to be modified by a light pencil, programming corrections by way of said graphic printout upon the cathode ray tube to effect intermediate modifications of the data in the memory of said computer, and finally converting all of the data in the memory of the computer to visible form comprising a system of said units linearly interconnected through said points.
 6. The method as defined in claim 5 wherein the system is a piping system, piping segments serving as said lines to interconnect said units, and the data formed in the memory of said computer is finally converted to visible drawing form defining a piping system interconnecting the units for fluid flow from unit to unit of the system.
 7. The method of designing, interconnecting and visibly illustrating a piping system of linearly interconnected operating units into a composite operating system, comprising, forming a plot plan consisting of a graphical diagrammatic arrangement of each of said operating units with each unit of said system graphically positioned therein in scale dimensions and arranged in threedimensional space in design position before eaCh unit is interconnected into the system, forming a first table of said dimensions significant of the size and orientation of each unit and the points thereon to be linearly interconnected measured by the designer from any point in the plot plan common to said units in symbols recognizable by a draftsman, programming a computer to convert the measurement data of said first table to coded form acceptable to a computer and to convert the said orienting data to the graphical origin of said plot plan, forming at least one second table listing data identifying units to be emplaced in said piping system in symbols recognizable by a draftsman and programming a computer to convert the data of said second tabularly listed data to a coded form acceptable to a computer, feeding the computer with said coded data, executing programmed steps to impose constraining limits upon said computer to compute and store data representative of said points in the memory of said computer, executing programmed steps to mathematically define a path interconnecting said units to be interconnected within said constraining limits, whereby each line thus defined becomes a limiting exclusion upon the next succeeding lines, graphically printing our selected views of said design upon a cathode ray tube operative to be modified by a light pencil, programming corrections by way of said graphic printout upon the cathode ray tube to effect intermediate modifications of the data in the memory of the said computer, and finally converting all of the data in the memory of said computer to visible form comprising a system of said units linearly interconnected by piping through said points.
 8. The method of designing, interconnecting and visibly illustrating a system of operating units linearly interconnected by piping into a composite operating system, comprising forming a plot plan consisting of a graphical diagrammatic arrangement of each of said operating units with each unit of said system graphically positioned therein in scale dimensions and arranged in three-dimensional space in design position before each unit is to be interconnected into the system, forming a table of said dimensions significant of each unit and the points thereon to be linearly interconnected by the designer from any point in the plot plan common to said units in symbols recognizable by a draftsman, converting the measurement data of said table to coded form acceptable to a computer, feeding the computer with said coded data, executing programmed steps to impose constraining limits upon said computer to compute and store data representative of said points in the memory of said computer, programming said computer to sum up significant unitary piping data to count units of piping, their lengths, size, weight, cost or the like and to count connecting elements in each interconnecting pipe, valves, unions, elbows, T''s or the like as emplaced in the memory of the computer, executing programmed steps to mathematically define the pipe interconnecting said units to be interconnected within said constraining limits, whereby each pipe thus defined becomes a limiting exclusion upon the next succeeding pipe, converting all of the data in the memory of said computer to visible form comprising a system of said units linearly interconnected through said points, and independently printing out a summation of said unitary piping data according to the summation thereof in the memory of the computer.
 9. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein the computer is further programmed to sum up significant unitary piping data to count units of piping, their lengths, size, weight, cost or the like and to count connecting elements in each interconnecting pipe, valves, unions, elbows, T''s or the like as emplaced in the memory of the computer, and, independently of other conversion of data in the memory of the computer to visible form, printing out a summation of said unitary piping data according to the summation thereof in the memory of the computer.
 10. Means for mechanically designing and visibly illustrating a piping system interconnecting several separate operating units into a composite fluid processing system, comprising the combination of a programmed computer, said programmed computer being operative by a program stored therein to transpose draftsman''s measurement data of units of said system arranged in a plot plan and draftsman''s identification and specification data of elements of said system into coded form acceptable to said computer, computer data transferring means for emplacing said coded data in the memory of said computer and a printout means converting data stored and computed by said computer to visible form, said plot plan comprising a three-dimensional graphical arrangement with respect to a selected point available to several units of the system to be linearly interconnected by piping in three-dimensional space means red from said selected point, and further having marked thereon the points at which said units are to be interconnected, said coded data significant of orientation measurements of elements of said plot plan comprising said linear distances measured by the draftsman and identification and specification data of units emplaced in said system being first formed into tables of assembled data in symbols familiar to a draftsman, said measurement data being converted by the programming of said computer to coded form acceptable to the computer and emplaced in the memory of said computer through said data transferring means, said computer further having other programmed steps executed in its memory to impose constraining limits upon said coded data, whereby upon execution of the total programming in the memory of the computer, linear pathways significant of the piping in said system are defined interconnecting said points within said constraining limits, each linear pathway thus defined becoming a limiting exclusion upon the next succeeding linear pathway to ultimately convert the data in the memory of said computer to visible form comprising a piping system including said units linearly interconnected through said points.
 11. The apparatus as defined in claim 10 including a cathode ray tube comprising a graphics system connected to said computer to print out and visually exhibit portions of said piping system in selected views, said cathode ray tube being sensitive to changes applied by a light pencil for correcting said drawings as coded into the memory of said computer whereby a corrected drawing to include corrections made in said graphics system may be ultimately printed out by said computer whereby a corrected illustration of said piping system is visibly formed by said system. 